Again, herdsmen attack Plateau, kill four, torch churches, houses

Four persons, including a soldier and a policeman, have been killed during another midnight attack on Nkiendoro village in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

During the attack, which took place on Thursday night, a Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church Winning All in the village were burnt.

The killing of the soldier was said to be generating fury among the Special Military Taskforce, codenamed Operation Safe Haven.

The attack came barely 24 hours after the killing of 19 persons, including a family of seven, when suspected gunmen attacked Ariri community in the same local government area.

The victims of the latest killings included Laraba Joshua (38), Ago Gado Bah (43), Markus Di (40) and Sunday Tukur, who was a soldier.

Sources told Saturday PUNCH that during the attacks – which lasted between 7pm and 11.45pm – 35 houses were torched, 47 farmlands were destroyed, 17 water pumps destroyed while a motorcycle was also burnt.

Apart from the destroyed properties, some items were also said to be stolen by the gunmen, including a motorcycle, seven goats, chickens and mobile phones belonging to the soldiers.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Matthias Tyopev, said he could not comment because he had yet to obtain clearance from the state Commissioner of Police, Undie Adie. When told he had been confirming information to journalists in the past without obtaining clearance from the CP, he said, “That’s the new development.”

But the spokesperson for the Miango Youths Development Association, Lawrence Zongo, said the assailants “were many, all dressed in black clothes and well armed.”

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